EU provides 850,000 Euros in emergency aid to help flood victims in Vietnam

On November 24, in Brussels, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Ms. Paola Pampaloni, Acting Director General of the EEAS Asia-Pacific Department, co-chaired the 6th Meeting of the Vietnam-EU Joint Committee, implementing the Vietnam-EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Ms. Paola Pampaloni, Acting Director General of the EEAS Asia- Pacific Department, co-chaired the 6th Meeting of the Vietnam-EU Joint Committee. (Photo: Bao Chi)

Opening the meeting, Ms. Paola Pampaloni, Head of the EU Delegation, sent her condolences and shared the damage caused by storms and floods to the people; informed that 850,000 Euros had been provided to Vietnam to overcome the consequences of the recent storms and continued to call on member countries to contribute to support Vietnam. Many EU member countries have responded to the call such as Germany, the Czech Republic...

On November 24, a plane carrying a shipment of EU emergency aid from Luxembourg arrived in Vietnam.

At the meeting, the two sides informed each other about the socio- economic situation and foreign policies of each side; reviewed and comprehensively assessed the situation of Vietnam - EU cooperation within existing cooperation frameworks, including the Defense - Security Dialogue, the Trade Committee implementing the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement, and specialized sub-committees in the Vietnam - EU Joint Committee.

The two sides were pleased to note that, after 35 years of establishing diplomatic relations, Vietnam-EU relations have developed positively in all fields, political trust has been continuously consolidated, delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially high-level ones, have been increasingly strengthened, and relations with EU member countries have been strongly consolidated.

To date, Vietnam has established a comprehensive strategic partnership with France; strategic partnerships with Spain, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Finland, Bulgaria and comprehensive partnerships with Denmark, Hungary and the Netherlands.

Trade and investment cooperation, development cooperation, defense and security, education and training, and climate change response have achieved remarkable progress; cooperation and dialogue mechanisms have brought into play positive effects.

The two sides have made efforts to implement many projects and cooperation programs on modernizing public finance, strengthening economic governance, and sustainable energy transition, in which the EU provides technical support, helps improve capacity, and shares experiences with Vietnam.

To further promote the relationship between the two sides in the coming time, the two sides agreed to continue to increase the exchange of high-level delegations, coordinate to fully and effectively implement the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), urge the remaining 6/27 EU member countries to soon ratify the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and at the same time maximize the effectiveness of existing cooperation and dialogue mechanisms.

The two sides also agreed to expand and deepen cooperation in all potential areas, especially trade and investment, development cooperation, green economy, digital transformation and circular economy, development of modern and sustainable fisheries, clean energy transformation, innovation and infrastructure, climate change response, biodiversity conservation, etc.

The two sides emphasized strengthening cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation, considering this an important new pillar in cooperation; promoting the EU's strengths and meeting Vietnam's needs in the new era.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in potential pillar areas such as science and technology, marine economy, energy transition, education and training, environmental protection and sustainable development, and proposed effectively exploiting EU initiatives such as Erasmus+ (Education, Training, Youth and Sports Programme), Horizon Europe (EU’s largest research and innovation programme) and JETP (Just Energy Transition Partnership).

The Deputy Minister also informed the EU about the Vietnamese Government’s serious and drastic measures in preventing and handling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing violations, and asked the EU and its member countries to support the early removal of the IUU “yellow card” for Vietnamese seafood. The EU acknowledged Vietnam’s efforts and will consider discussing with Vietnam some technical issues.

Representatives of ministries and branches attending the meeting also proposed many specific measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade - investment, finance, development cooperation, climate change response, agriculture, defense - security, etc.

The EU affirmed that Vietnam is an important and exemplary partner in the Asia-Pacific region, and pledged to continue supporting Vietnam in its sustainable development. The EU highly appreciated Vietnam’s impressive achievements in socio-economic development and international integration, considering Vietnam a model partner in ASEAN and ready to accompany the implementation of strategic goals, especially in science, technology and energy transition in the new era of development.

Agreeing with Vietnam's proposals, the EU announced the priorities in the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Strategy and the Global Gateway Initiative, and expressed its wish for Vietnam to actively participate in cooperation projects within the framework of these strategies.

Discussing international and regional issues of mutual concern, the two sides agreed to promote multilateralism and the role of the United Nations; affirmed that disputes must be resolved by peaceful means, on the basis of international law and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter; and ensured security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea on the basis of compliance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

The two sides agreed to support strengthening the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership, prioritizing trade and investment cooperation, responding to global challenges regarding climate, environment, natural disasters, and epidemics, contributing to green and sustainable development, and cooperating in sub-regional development, including the Mekong sub-region.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/eu-vien-tro-khan-cap-850000-euro-giup-dong-bao-vung-lu-viet-nam-335490.html